


To Beat as Two (To Ache as One)

by L_The_other_consulting_detective (SolarisRasa)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Confessions, Heartsmiths, I do what I want with a premise and ignore lots of other things, Keith is a heartsmith, M/M, Misunderstanding, Soulmates, mechanical organs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21783208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarisRasa/pseuds/L_The_other_consulting_detective
Summary: Keith Kogane was born heartless and capable of something wonderful, something exploited.Takashi Shirogane was born with two heartbeats and a body made for only one.Together they find a balance and go to the stars, defenders, friends.Together they return to Earth and fall apart.Shiro marries and the heart in Keith's chest, the one he was gifted, slowly dies.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron), brief Curtis/Shiro
Comments: 11
Kudos: 33





	To Beat as Two (To Ache as One)

**Author's Note:**

> This is like, a fanfic of a fanfic because I read a heartsmith fic years ago and have no idea where that came from so?  
> For clarities sake this happens in an almost canon universe.  
> You give your heart to your soulmate on Earth and your heart always knows who that is. No one else can touch it.  
> Galra have soulmates but they do not have clockwork hearts, just regular ones.  
> Heartsmith’s are born with the ability to handle anyone’s heart and to fix them in ways that medicine cannot. They are exceedingly rare. They also cannot identify their soulmates.

“I have to go. It is the only way to protect you, both of you.”

Krolia had never been meant for Earth, her wild blood and fierce spirit could never be so confined, not when she was born awash in starlight. William “Tex” Kogane knew that, had known that before he’d ever kissed her.

“You go up there and give ‘em hell and-“ Tex swallowed, “when you’re done, and if you can, you come back to us.”

Krolia did not offer him a promise she couldn’t keep and if there was one thing he’d always appreciated about his lady it was that she never sugarcoated and she never lied.

“I will try, but it may not be safe, if I survive.”

Tex looked between her and their boy, swaddled and sleeping sound. Tex was a strong man, built to last, and judging by the stillness of Keith’s chest, maybe built to outlast. The heart in his chest had never weighed so much as it did just then.

“Hell.” He muttered, hand pressing against his sternum, a last ditch effort to make her come back and a kind of insurance if Keith proved too much like a meteor himself, brilliant but brief.

“What are you doing?” Krolia’s question was soft, her voice fighting past unwilling muscles, the more she said the faster she’d have to go.

Tex, fingers and ribs aching, held the weight of his heart and offered it to her. The strange clockwork of it unlike anything she’d ever seen he was sure, the way that nature had come together to make so precious a thing removable.

“It’s been yours since I saw ya streaking across the sky. Might as well send it with ya. Something to remind ya, you’re more than a cog up there.”

Krolia’s fingers curled around the organ and Tex hissed, it was a ghost of touch but it was enough.

“It will be in danger constantly.”

Tex chuckled, pressing his heart tighter into her hand, “Better with you than withering away down here.”

Krolia’s gaze was burning as she took it, cradling it close though she could not take it into her own chest; her race was too fixed for such things.

-

At five years old Keith had held the heart of his neighbor, a little girl who had been sickly since she was born. He smiled up at her mother who looked horrified, her daughters most precious gift sitting in the dirty hands of Tex’s little boy.

Before she could snatch it away he offered it back, the pale fluttering thing was flushed with new life and the cogs that had never run right clicked along smoothly. The woman watched as Keith helped her daughter press it back in place with a little smile.

-

“You can’t keep him hidden away like this! It’s unfair!”

Keith didn’t understand why the lady was so upset with his papa, she’d been really nice after he’d fixed her daughters heart.

“Not fair to who ma’am? To my _five year old_ or the rest of ya’ll?”

Uh-oh. Papa’s words only got funny like that when someone (Keith) wouldn’t eat his vegetables or someone (adults) were being rude. Keith peeked around the doorway from the play room and could see the lady and her daughter and his papa’s back.

“He’s a _Heartsmith!_ They’re so rare Mr. Kogane, he should be in training to use his gift!”

The lady looked so upset and if Keith focused he could see her heart, it looked okay and he didn’t know why she seemed so sad. His papa sounded like he had on his very-serious-frown face when he spoke again.

“He’s my son and he’s not well as he is. If he wants to train when he’s older, he can. Now I’m glad he could help your daughter, but it’s time we were going.”

His papa turned and looked right at him, his frown softening and Keith rushed over, hugging his leg.

“Bye-Bye!”

-

Keith pressed his warm knuckles to the cold surface of his father’s grave, willing himself not to choke around the hole in his chest.

As soon as he’d been old enough to know what it meant, not having a heart, he’d expected to have to say goodbye to his father. He hadn’t thought it would be like this though.

He was born without one, fated not to last long and he had worried about what his father would do once he was gone.

He pressed his hand harder, the sting of the bruises flaring. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Tex Kogane had been a strong man, endlessly capable and meant to live until he saw his wife return, heart in her hands. Keith had grown up on stories of her, how they had loved each other so much his father had let her go, let her take his heart. He would gesture to the wide open sky and whisper to Keith that it was out there somewhere, kept safe by his lady.

He knew James hadn’t known, that the kid had just been shit talking. No one knew about the permanent hole in Keith and it was a hard kept secret. Keith shuddered as the wind picked up, dry grass rolling over his feet.

Tomorrow the Garrison was sending someone, tomorrow Keith would have a shot at something else. If he could pass the medical exam. He swallowed hard, bending until his forehead pressed to the cold granite stone.

If he could keep his second secret.

“Fuck.”

-

Takashi Shirogane tightened his grip on the sim controls. It was an easy run since he was taking it out to recruit that afternoon but the tremors in his hands threatened his precision. He took a long breath, relaxing his shoulders. He’d done this without the stabilizing wrist monitors when he’d first arrived and it had been infinitely harder then.

Now, the benefit of experience and confidence, his tremors only meant a little more focus than a beginners run usually merited. He liked the sims well enough but the real desert was more challenging and he loved the way it made his hearts beat. He used to hate the dual pounding of them, what they had consigned him to, but the sound had become a comfort.

Shiro stepped out of the sim, rubbing a hand over his sternum and found Adam watching him sharply. He dropped his hand and smiled, willing the spike in irritation away. Adam loved him, his worries _were_ warranted if somewhat stifling.

“Is it bothering you today Takashi?”

Two hearts didn’t weight so much, but everyone who knew treated him like the extra organ was an enormous burden. When he was small his parent’s had prayed he might find his soulmate, someone who could safely pull the double beat from his chest. He could still remember his mother’s despair when they finally found a heartsmith, only to learn the cost was exorbitant.

“No more than usual.” Shiro pressed a kiss to Adam’s cheek, “I was testing the recruiting run, Iverson thought there might be a glitch.”

Adam’s frown eased, “Off to talk some more young hopefuls into a space adventure then?”

“Have to keep the brass appeased.” Shiro laughed and Adam rolled his eyes in agreement, “Dinner after?”

Adam huffed, “Much after, I’ve got dorm rounds tonight.”

Shiro groaned in sympathy and checked his watch.

“I’m sorry. We’ll go to the diner after. I’d better get going, schedule’s to keep!” He pressed a kiss to Adam’s cheek and ignored the creeping guilt as they separated once more.


End file.
